My Princes
by EE's Skysong
Summary: Set in the future, Aelita's POV. The princess ruminates on her wedding day. 'Most women's weddings remind them of what is. Mine reminds me of what could have been.' OddAelita, implied JA and YU.


Disclaimer: "If it was up to me I would have figured you out Way before the year clocked out I hope you're waiting I hope you're waiting..."

(An: Ok, this is set quite a while after Code: Lyoko. The wedding happened about ten or fifteen years after the series, and Aelita is remembering this so... yeah. Everyone's a lot older. Things that aren't flashbacks are in italics.)

_I can never say my wedding was the happiest day of my life. Most women can, but not me._

_Most women's weddings remind them of what is. Mine reminds me of what could have been._

_It was happy, yes, but also bittersweet, because I learned something I never imagined..._

Jeremie proposed to me after we both graduated college- long after we deleted X.A.N.A. and left Kadic and went our seperate ways. I almost thought he wouldn't- it was his last day at the school we'd both graduated from, and I was worried he would remain too shy.

But he did, and a few months later we were married.

I was so happy when all of our friends showed up.

Yumi's parents had made her go back to Japan for college, but luckily Ulrich had managed to tell her how he felt before that. They say long distance relationships never work out, but when one saw them, it was obvious that saying didn't apply.

Ulrich himself had stayed in France, working through two years of college until he had enough money to start a small dojo, which was fairly succesful.

And then there was Odd. His family moved to America after he graduated from Kadic, and really, only Ulrich stayed in touch with him, although I could always expect a card on holidays and my birthday, and an occasional random letter.

I knew that Ulrich and Yumi would be there- they were best man and maid of honor, respectably, but Odd... well... I had sent him an invitation, but he hadn't responded, and Jeremie (with a strange look on his face) had said that he probably wouldn't come.

That was why I was so happy when he did.

He showed up early, before I went in to get dressed.

Like everyone else, he'd changed a lot. He was taller, for one thing; he'd shot up past Ulrich. He was in a suit (although the flower peeking out of his breast pocket was a violet), and he wore his hair in a ponytail. He still had the same grin, though.

I almost tackled him, I was so happy. He stiffened a little when I hugged him. This should have been a clue, but I only attributed it to years without seeing me. "I'm so glad you came!" I said, my arms around his neck.

After a second, he hugged me back. "Hey, princess, Jeremie would never let me hear the end of it if I didn't show."

I let go and smiled at the old nickname. "It's been years since anyone called me that," I told him.

"Well, it's about time somebody did, then," he replied, grinning.

"Why didn't you say you were coming?" I asked, taking him by the hand and bringing him inside the church so we could sit down and catch up.

Odd shrugged. "Didn't think I was gonna be able to," he responded. "I had a whole snafu with my agent."

This made me smile wider. Odd had become pretty popular in the US with a remixed (and resang) version of "Break Break Breakdance." His letters usually included funny stories about things that happened to techno stars.

He smirked at me as we grabbed chairs. "So, are you doing the DJ-ing for your own wedding?"

I laughed. "No, actually, I haven't mixed anything since I started college," I replied.

Odd gaped. "Really?"

"I've been so busy with class and new friends and," here I blushed a little, "Jeremie that I just haven't thought about it in a while."

Odd rolled his eyes, still grinning. "I should've guessed Jeremie would've kept you busy."

I blushed darker. "_Odd_!"

"I know, I know, put a sock in it," he said. "Have Ulrich and Yumi showed up yet?"

"No, at least, I haven't seen them," I replied.

"I'd probably go find Einstein," he said. He hugged me again, and walked off.

I spotted him again as I walked down the aisle, in the pews by Yumi and Ulrich. Those two flashed me big grins and thumbs up, but Odd just stared, his eyes wide.

And then there was the reception.

It was wonderful, mostly. The first dance with Jeremie was heaven. And then the girls only dance with Yumi was fun.

Then there was just dancing, and Odd came up to me and Jeremie. "Can I cut in?" he asked.

An expression I'd never seen before flicked across Jeremie's face, and Odd gave him a shrug and a small smile. Then Jeremie smiled back and stepped aside.

Odd put one hand on my shoulder and one hand on my waist, an odd solemnity to his movements. Then he met my eyes, and it was just the same as it always was, back at Kadic when he liked a song on the radio and got me to dance with him.

After the dancing ended, Odd came up to me again. I was sitting next to Jeremie, who was deep in conversation with Yumi. He came over and tapped my shoulder. When I turned, he took my hand, putting a finger to his lips. He led me off.

He took me into the confessional.

"Why are we in here?"

When he said it, what he said didn't make much sense to me. "This is where sinners come to confess, isn't it?"

I blinked.

He just smiled at me in a weird way and then made a "stay here" gesture. He left, and then came back with his hands behind his back. "I couldn't exactly leave this on the table," he said, pulling out a little box... with airholes. "Sorry about that," he said to whatever was in the box. Then he opened it. Inside was a puppy, really small, and almost Kiwi's twin, except female. "I didn't tell you, but Kiwi's been a pretty busy boy..."

I laughed and pulled out the puppy. She woke up and barked at me. "Oh, thank you, Odd," I said, smiling at him.

"I thought you'd like her. Her name's Lime."

A comfortable silence fell between us. At least, I thought it was comfortable, but Odd kept fidgeting.

"I should probably go back inside," I said, after a moment of this. I knew Odd wanted to say more, but... something about the way he'd been acting made me nervous on all levels.

He nodded, and then put a hand on my shoulder. I turned to face him.

Ever since Sam dumped Odd a few days before I was materialized, he hasn't been able to hold down a steady relationship. I know that junior high relationships rarely last very long, but even then it was weird. He had several girlfriends- even a few flings with Sissi!- but none of them lasted much longer than a week. When he went to America, he probably kept up the same habit, because none of his letters ever mentioned his girlfriends.

These facts still didn't take off the shock when he kissed me.

"I love you. Sorry if I ruined your day," he said, with a crooked little smile, and then he walked away.

I fell down with a thump on the step outside the confessional. It all made sense now... and I didn't want it to.

Jeremie and I left early that night, and what happened after we left helped take my mind off Odd.

_Odd and I kept in touch after that day (as a matter of fact, I just got a postcard from him yesterday). He never alluded to what he did in the confessional, and neither did I- it scared me a little._

_But sometimes, late at night, when Jeremie is fast asleep beside me, I lay awake and think of what might've been._

(I'm very pleased with the way this turned out. I should write from Aelita's POV more often. Review, si vous plait.)


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